At the time I am writing this column it is getting very close to my birthday so my thoughts are turning to family and other loved ones.
By Rebecca Nidey
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House
One of my favorite memories of my younger years is of doing jigsaw puzzles with my Dad. As I got older and acquired nieces and nephews, they learned the joy of doing them with Grandpa Randall. I’m sure that by this time you are wondering why I am talking about puzzles when the column is about paranormal research.
Ah, do I see a cartoon light bulb turning on over your head now? Puzzles… paranormal research! To me, hauntings and any other paranormal occurrence is nothing more than a puzzle of a different kind.
Most of the puzzles my Dad did were the usual large square or rectangular kind and the more pieces there were, the more he loved them. Dad always had a particular way he worked the puzzles. First he would do the outside frame of sides. If you think of an investigation as a frame for the puzzle it makes perfect sense: who, what, where, when, why.
Dad, in a sense, served as the lead investigator of this puzzle just as Jason Snider is for the paranormal team I am a member of. Dad completed the framework of his puzzle and Jason does the same before we do any investigation by gathering the preliminary information.
WHO could be as simple as the clients who request the investigation, but it certainly doesn’t stop there. When phenomenon occurs, is there more than one person present? Does it always seem to be the same person or people present? Let’s go even further…..if you have done your historical research, who could it be haunting the area you are investigating? If you feel it might actually be a poltergeist, could it be causing the excess energy that is triggering the phenomenon?
WHAT is the nature of the occurrences? Are they as simple as noises such as creaks and footsteps? Do they involve visual clues like apparitions or shadows? Perhaps there is actual contact such as a touch from an unseen hand or the sound of someone whispering in your ear.
WHERE the possible haunting occurs can be a building (either occupied or unoccupied) or a seemingly empty plot of land. Is there something that could be amplifying the phenomenon such as running water close by or limestone in the foundation or in the soil beneath the area? Of course, any place where there have been deep emotions or turmoil such as the site of a massacre, accident, or in a hospital or asylum seems to be a usual place for hauntings.
WHEN does the phenomenon seem to occur? Does the timing seem random or is there a pattern? Does it only occur once a year on a certain date and time, or only during the full or new moon phase? Perhaps it only happens when a certain person is present or when there is a crowd of people who might provide energy for the spirits to draw on.
WHY does the haunting occur? This is the question that all researchers want an answer to! Is it because a lovelorn gentleman committed suicide when his lady turned down his marriage proposal? Or perhaps it is as simple as a mother who made the same trek up and down the staircase of her farmhouse to tuck in her children and continues to do so even though both she and the children are long gone. Sadly, it could be because of a disaster of major proportions like a tornado, fire or explosion. No matter whether it is a residual or intelligent haunting, we hope to find the answer to this question.
After my Dad completed the frame of the puzzle he always allowed those who passed by the table to fill in the rest of the pieces. This is where the paranormal research team comes in, just as the members of Dad’s puzzle team of relatives and friends did. Of course, even my smaller nieces and nephews wanted to help so Dad would patiently teach them the ins and outs of fitting the pieces together. Often, it took several tries to get the pieces to fit. As a novice (and even to this day) Jason has patiently taught me and the rest of the team how to fit the pieces of our paranormal puzzles together.
A paranormal research team can be as small as two people or a much larger group that rotates in their duties. There should be historical researchers, data recorders, tech people who can operate the equipment, photographers and the list goes on and on. Often, because of scheduling conflicts or just the fact that the team is smaller, the members must multi task. It is all pulled together by the person who frames the puzzle, whether it is a made from cardboard or paranormal activity.
In the course of the years, many of the puzzles Dad completed had at least one piece missing when he had hoped to complete it. Sometimes by looking in odd places, the piece were found or it was right under his nose all the time. However, one of the things I have found true with paranormal research and investigation is that sometimes all of the pieces of the puzzle can’t be found, or they never fit together to form a complete picture. The picture may never be completed but that does not take away the fun of working with people you care about to try to finish the puzzle and see the big picture. Isn’t that true of paranormal research and investigation also?
May we always remember the joy of the work even if the picture never becomes complete!
I would like to dedicate this column to my Dad, Randall Nidey, who never failed to help me make the pieces of the puzzle of my life fall into place and made it fun while it happened.
If you would like to find out more about the paranormal research team of which I am a member please visit our website: www.crawfordcountyghosthunters.com or our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/crawfordcountyghosthunters. If you would like for the group to do an investigation in the Illinois or Indiana area please contact team leader Jason Snider at 312-869-4792 or IllinoisHauntings@yahoo.com or by private message on the group Facebook page.
About the Author:
Through her work on the investigative team for the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters, Rebecca Nidey has an understanding of the paranormal, spiritual, and metaphysical worlds and how they work together.
Rebecca has trained in the Healing Touch technique (a form of energy healing). She is a certified Psychic Medium trained by Belle Salisbury, and she is a certified Paranormal Researcher.
Rebecca is the associate editor for Bellesprit Magazine and also writes a column titled Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House. She has been a co-host of several radio programs for the Haunted Voices Radio Network and HeyZ Radio Network highlighting the Paranormal, metaphysical and literary fields.
To learn more about Rebecca or to schedule a reading you can contact her at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.nidey.
